Socially Proactive
This is a guest post from Jim Mitchem. Jim is a father, husband, copywriter and founder of the virtual ad agency smashcommunications, llc. You can find him at his Obsessed with Conformity blog, and on Twitter @smashadv.
One of the things I hear most often from colleagues who attempt to justify why big brands need to be involved in Social Media is, ‘Don’t you want to know what people are saying about you?’
Only, this is a very passive position. Reactionary. More like Public Relations than marketing. Then again, most of the people I know in Social are from the PR side of the house. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
In fact, there’s a lot to be said for keenly monitoring what people say about your brand. Marketers from as little as ten years ago would kill for this opportunity. And with the amazing data mining tools available today, you can monitor your ass off. It’s brilliant.
However, there’s another opportunity out there that may be even more valuable than monitoring. Engaging. Yeah, yeah, everyone talks about how engagement is the core concept of SM. But talk is cheap. Well, not really.
In fact, one of the fallacies of Social Media is that because the media itself is mostly free (for now,) that it’s somehow cheap.
It’s not.
To effectively engage in this space requires a strategy and a team. And that means allocating budgets. In other words, being proactive. So stop what you’re doing right now, and go into your marketing plan and carve out 30% of the budget right off the top and put it into Social Media. Because A) traditional marketing is dying (becoming less relevant), and B) engagement takes manpower. Lots of it.
Yes, you can maximize the manpower with the proper tools, but if you’re not prepared to invest in the people who will take your brand into the brave new world of social, you’re just monitoring.
Don’t be afraid of Social Media. It’s not brain surgery. But after centuries of doing things one-way, we’re now in the age of two way. And reciprocal dialogue doesn’t occur in a print campaign.
You want to hear what your target audience is saying about you? You can do that in Social Media. If you want to be more proactive than at any time in the history of marketing, you can do that in Social Media too.
Imagine having people contact you on Twitter about a problem they’re having with a product – and you actually help them. In public. With everyone watching. Now imagine what the person you just helped is going to say about you (in public) to other people who are probably a lot like them, and who therefore represent potential new customers for you.
Imagine people talking about you in public and referencing your blog directly, where even more intimate dialogue can occur and where you can further reinforce your brand’s promise of value.
Imagine that. It’s sick.
And it’s being done now pretty well by brands like Zappos, Ford, Southwest Airlines among a growing list of others. No, none of these brands have everything figured out here. But they do have guts, and have recognized the massive potential that exists in proactive reciprocal dialogue with their audience.
Proactive engagement. It’s the new Super Bowl television spot. Just ask Pepsi.
28 Responses to “Socially Proactive”
As Jim mentions below, Mike, that’s definitely key. Too many fall into the trap of the social media sugar box – it’s all that’s needed, it will take away the need for marketing, PR, etc, or it will save thousands in expenditure and so on.
It’s simply another addition to the toolset of industry, no matter what that industry may be. Putting all your eggs in the social media basket is about as smart as making a sequel to Titanic…
Thanks for dropping by, fella, always appreciate hearing your views.
A sequel to ‘Titanic’. Hmmmm! In 3D!
.-= Roger Hjulstrom´s most recent blog post …Which Twitter are you using? =-.
Never say never.
“This use of social media must never be a replacement for all your other channels working as effectively.”
Not to sound cliche, but it depends on the organization. There are no universal rules, and thus it is nonsensical to say never.
.-= Ari Herzog´s most recent blog post …Showcase Sunday: 10 of My YouTube Favorites =-.But can you see a time when social replaces every other channel, Ari? Personally I can’t, so I think Jim’s point is valid, no?
If by “seeing a time” refers to 10 years down the road, sure; but we’re talking about today, no?
.-= Ari Herzog´s most recent blog post …3 Ways to Subscribe to My Blog at a Time When Most Bloggers Offer 2 =-.We are talking about today. And so few businesses are really using it, and even fewer consumers are aware of it. It’s still very much driven by the usual suspects (at the minute). It’s getting better; but to focus all energies on something that is still being proven could be a costly decision.
You’re right. Just as traditional advertising and marketing should never replace those things. It’s all about a balanced approach.
.-= Jim Mitchem´s most recent blog post …SM: Where the Hard Sell goes to Die =-.A very interesting take on Social Media, thank you. even more interesting that the Marketing department sees it as ‘their’ domain. A debate over the PR vs Marketing implications. A great place to start, but far from the full perspective.
That’s exactly where most companies started with the internet. Brochureware on a web site. Later corporate position, branding, and eventually sales. Later, customer service and the rest got dragged in. Sometimes willingly, sometimes kicking & screaming.
Social Media from my perspective is simply a new channel/conduit that companies will increasingly use to do business. With customers, partners, suppliers, etc.
Great advice to take a planned approach to making the transition. Investing the right balance of resources across the various media can be a challenge. ‘Allowing’ a few trusted employees to dabble in social media over lunch hour and between meetings really won’t allow a firm to catch the wave.
When Pepsi is not on the SuperBowl, that may give them more recognition than actually being on it. Or, people may wonder if they are struggling financially.
At the pace the new waves are hitting organizations, its becoming more and more important for higher level planning process, and an organized approach to transition across the new waves as the tools hit. How long were print, tv and radio the darlings? In just a decade or so, the web and social media have hit and gone mainstream. A lot for an organization to be nimble when the waves are higher, faster and more diverse. Thanks for the insights!
That’s a great point about the perception of Pepsi when Superbowl comes around, TJ. We’ve already seen Skittles and their unfortunate decision to go purely social – will Pepsi be the same? If any company can ride out a new approach, it’s someone like Pepsi. But is (or will) the market be big enough by then? Time will tell.
Great post Jim! And kudos to the Danny Brown.
Here’s my two cents wrapped in a $50 dollar bill…“Imagine having people contact you on Twitter about a problem they’re having with a product – and you actually help them. In public. With everyone watching. Now imagine what the person you just helped is going to say about you…”
This would be wonderful and, as you say, Zappos is rather amazing at it, but they also have a tremendous customer service via email, mail and phone. The one-on-one for them reigns supreme. Zappos is a rarity.
*Did you know they even send handwritten postcards to customers?* Amazing. *Did you know they DM friendly, nonspam messages, addressing you by name?* Amazing. Woah, this kind of contact does take a tremendous staff. Indeed! As well as a great HR staff to weed out the slackers, loafers, the wankers!
A big problem for a company trying to “engage” on a site like Twitter is that most people ask the same exact questions and obviously miss when it was first answered, and the many other times it got answered. Then the company will simply have to direct them to an FAQ link. Or, again, if on Twitter, the company could be wise and keep the ‘status link’ to their first answer and send that out with a word or two proceeding it or simply @’ing the asker. Which is much friendlier than the FAQ.
As you know, the people power it would take to actually answer the same question asked by thousands would be wasted resource. However, once getting over the hurdle of “repeated queries” they are in a better position to act as Zappos does and do direct contact, continuing a dialogue that shows their human side.
Word of mouth is so important but if you think about it, what regular folk sit around discussing Pepsi or Ford? Some…Few. But how many people tweet and FB and actually chat IRL about Zappos? I do and I know many who do as well… It’s shoes, for Christsakes! Yes, of course there is more talk about fashion. So like Ari says, nothing is universal and each company has to find a new spin on their “engagement”. For instance any company could take a tip out of the @Kim playbook and put forth thought-provoking or funny questions for their followers (on any social network) to answer. Questions based on the company as well as non-business oriented. The answers roll in, the back-n-forth begins… It works on Twitter, a blog, on FB, etc…
Before allocating resources to the one-on-one manpower staff, first slap a paycheck on a creative to concoct engaging ideas for an ongoing dialogue. Being the root from which the tree grows should be the primary goal for every company taking a dive into social media.
Thanks for the great read Jim. And thanks to Danny for having such terrific guest bloggers.
*By the way, the $50 dollar bill I mentioned above, it’s counterfeit. The two cents might be as well.*
.-= Ct Kingston´s most recent blog post …How To Comment Blogs =-.Wow, Christina, it’s almost like we’re sharing the same head
Every client of Maritz Canada that’s considering a social approach has a full social audit from the creative team. It’s not just social that looks at a possible strategy; creative use defines the approach. And that helps separate the “everyone’s doing it so we should too” to “everyone’s doing it so how can we stand out’?
Makes a hell of a difference. Kudos!
You guys are smart. Thanks for the comments. Obviously, there’s a *lot* to think about in terms of developing strategies that work in this space. But my point here is to consider stepping into the ring and actually doing something other than ‘watching what people think about you.’ And you’re right, Tina, the culture to serve doesn’t start with Social Media, but at the top of the organization and flows outwardly throughout every facet of an organization (both internal and external communications.) You’re also right that Danny’s choice in guest bloggers is pretty sweet.
Thanks again y’all. I love this stuff.
.-= Jim Mitchem´s most recent blog post …SM: Where the Hard Sell goes to Die =-.“the culture to serve doesn’t start with Social Media, but at the top of the organization and flows outwardly throughout every facet of an organization (both internal and external communications.)”
Perfect summation of my long ramble!Perfect!
.-= Ct Kingston´s most recent blog post …How To Comment Blogs =-.I’m a copywriter, Tina. It’s my job to pare, slice and lop.
.-= Jim Mitchem´s most recent blog post …Lying Like a Rug – Don’t Read This Post =-.
Thanks Danny for this,
I think its very important to point out that there is a real cost behind social media engagement. Many tend to think its free as the tools are mostly free. But as you say, its time consuming. And time is one of the most crucial cost factors companies have. It is difficult free lancers to mange, if you are not Chris Brogan that is.
How can a single person optimize his/ her time management?For sure, Tom, and it’s something I’ll be looking at in a follow-up post to Jim’s.
I loved this post! Hugely relevant, given all the questions surrounding real engagement. I have a funny story to share about a conversation I had with a traditional agency that’s handling a big retail brand. When the agency’s rep asked ‘Don’t you want to know what people are saying about you?’ – the management actually said no! Why? Because they just know what people are saying – bad bad things. This brand has never been at the forefront of great customer service and now they’re shuddering at the idea of finding out customer grievances online (and all the gift vouchers they might need to issue out as compensation.) So even BEFORE they consider allocating a social media budget, they’re shirking away.
This was a revelation for me and I wonder how many brands are thinking this way. Anyhow, my guess is sooner or later, they’ll need to dive in.Once again, great insights Jim and thanks Danny for making it happen
It’s the ostrich with the head in the sand syndrome, Puja. Yes, you can ignore it – but you can bet your bottom dollar that your competitors won’t, and will leverage your silence to take away your customers. It’s not a choice of when anymore – it’s a choice of how.
I hope I misread your phrase: “Reactive. More like PR.” With respect, I don’t know which PR pros you know, but if they’re merely reactive, I can’t imagine they’re very successful. Being pro-active is a core part of any good PR pro’s DNA.
And I believe many PR and social media pros start the conversation with “Don’t you want to know what’s being said about your brand/organization?” to get fearful corporate leaders to start to understand the fact that one ignores the conversation at their own peril. It is merely a baby step.
You’re right Ken. I totally misspoke on that. Most of the PR people I know are highly proactive. It’s just that the tired justification of ‘don’t you want to know what people are saying about you?’ is so passive and reactionary that it reminded me of PR class in college when we were schooled on how to handle issues that come up – via PR. You’re dead-on though – most PR people are quite proactive. It’s just that I come from the advertising side of the house – and it’s always been my job to get in there, mix it up and elicit action from an audience.
.-= Jim Mitchem´s most recent blog post …Lying Like a Rug – Don’t Read This Post =-.Nice post, Jim. Most of what I had to say was covered in previous comments
, but the most important point to me was that because the medium is free it’s not obvious that using social media is not without cost. Not if it’s going to be used properly.
.-= Roger Hjulstrom´s most recent blog post …Which Twitter are you using? =-.I’m really on board with this post. And I’m a big fan of both you gents. It’s cool how you paired up to post and comment out. (just sayin).
Maybe adding something to the mix for further discussion, take a look at this post of mine (sorry, I usually think its tacky to do this) because I found evidence that some companies doing the SM thing are really under-leveraging what their audiences are offering. And even abusing it (wonder what that does for affinity, consumer confidence, and that word-of-mouth thing?) http://insightsandingenuity.com/2009/10/19/is-social-feedback-less-valuable-than-traditional-feedback/
Pepsi, with a culture steeped in traditional approaches, sure is getting gutsy, I agree. But can they handle the consumer truth? Will they make really good use of what their audiences offer? I sure hope so.
.-= Heather Rast´s most recent blog post …Collaborative Disambiguity: Making Something Into Nothing =-.Hey there Heather,
Great post, I’ll comment shortly (and never be afraid of linking to the good stuff, I’ll only hunt you down if it’s gratuitous)
That’s going to be the real litmus test for Pepsi. It’s great that they’re taking this approach but now the hard work starts – using it properly. Time will tell.
I just wanted to thank you guys again for letting me rant here – great comments. I learned a lot. Danny, you’re a good man. Thank you.
.-= Jim Mitchem´s most recent blog post …The Hybrid =-.My pleasure Jim – always great to have smarts like your good self sharing your views and thoughts with this blog’s community, and especially when they’re so bang on as well. Cheers!
I agree that the social media space can be a wonderful place to connect with ppl who love your brand and also your detractors and those with challenges, however, and their is a big however.
This use of social media must never be a replacement for all your other channels working as effectively.
Phone, email, face to face, snail mail.
All channels matter, companies ignore this at their peril.